Kliemna

Designed for students and teachers of Maltese as a foreign language, Kliemna brings together the essential vocabulary needed by learners taking their first steps in Maltese.

In the first book of the series, the words are organised into twenty thematic sections, including family, food and drink, animals, clothes, the body, and time. Each entry includes essential grammatical information, phonetic transcription, an English equivalent, and a short example in natural Maltese. The material is also available at malti.mt/learn-maltese, where learners can listen to the pronunciation and practise speaking.

Since 2005, the Department of Maltese has welcomed learners from around the world: students, professionals, new residents, regular visitors, and people rediscovering their family roots. Although they arrive with different motivations, many soon realise that learning Maltese is more than acquiring vocabulary or grammar. It offers a new way of understanding the history, culture, and everyday life of the Maltese Islands.

Inspired by this idea, Kliemna is being designed as a practical companion for learners at different CEFR levels. Rather than presenting words in isolation, it introduces them in meaningful contexts, helping learners understand how they are naturally used. It is equally intended as a resource for teachers and anyone involved in teaching Maltese as a foreign language.

Kliemna was developed as part of the research project Fuq l-Għatba tal-Malti, run by the Department of Maltese. The researchers on the project were Ayrton-Didier Brincat, Deborah Muscat, and Fransianne Pace. The first book in the Kliemna series was edited by Michael Spagnol and Dwayne Ellul, illustrated and designed by Naomi Gatt, and published by Midsea Books Ltd (Klabb Kotba Maltin), with the support of APS Bank.

We hope that these pages will not only help you build your vocabulary, but also bring you one step closer to the language and the community that speaks it.

The content of this webpage, including but not limited to the text, phrases, and translations contained in the resource, is protected by copyright law. Unauthorised reproduction, distribution, or use of the content, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from the copyright holders, is strictly prohibited.

For enquiries regarding the use of the content, please contact: malti.arts@um.edu.mt

Il-kontenut ta’ din il-paġna, fosthom il-kliem, il-frażijiet, u t-traduzzjonijiet li hemm fil-frażarju, hu mħares mil-liġi tad-drittijiet tal-awtur. Ir-riproduzzjoni, id-distribuzzjoni, jew l-użu mhux awtorizzat tal-kontenut, kollu jew parti minnu, mingħajr il-permess bil-miktub minn qabel mid-detenturi tad-drittijiet tal-awtur, huma strettament ipprojbiti.

Għal mistoqsijiet dwar l-użu tal-kontenut, tista’ tikteb lil: malti.arts@um.edu.mt